Quincy, M.E.

Jack Klugman as Quincy

Robert Ito as Sam

The series starred Jack Klugman as Dr. Quincy, a resolute, excitable, ethical and highly proficient Medical Examiner (forensic pathologist) for the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, working to ascertain facts about and reasons for possible suspicious deaths. His colleagues, friends and wife all address him by his surname or the shortened "Quince.” The character's first name was never given, although in the third-season episode "Accomplice to Murder,” his name is shown on a business card as "R. Quincy"; and in early episodes, the name "Dr. R. Quincy" appears on his office door. (It appears not even Klugman himself knew what Quincy's first name was supposed to have been; whenever he was asked, he would reply "Doctor!")

While engaged in para-police investigations, Quincy frequently comes into conflict with his boss, Dr. Robert Asten (John S. Ragin), and the police, in particular, LAPD Homicide Lieutenant Frank Monahan (Garry Walberg). Quincy and Asten would usually tussle about halfway into an episode, after which time Quincy would successfully solve the case, outsmarting the LAPD and his argumentative boss. Both Monahan and Asten frequently had their own theories about a particular case which were usually at odds with Quincy's deductions. In early episodes, Quincy's relationship with both men was often volatile and nearly adversarial; this changed markedly in later episodes, where Quincy appears to have much closer professional and personal relationships with the two. Frequently, however, the entire investigation would be handled by Quincy with little or no cooperation from the police. Quincy is assisted in the lab by the faithful and adept Sam Fujiyama (Robert Ito).

It is revealed in the episode "The Last of Leadbottom" that Quincy is a retired Captain in the US Navy and remains in the Naval Reserve. In the episode "Crib Job,” he notes he originally wanted to be a railroad engineer, after revealing a number of facts about the dangers of the occupation. A well-liked man, Quincy lives on a sailboat permanently moored in Marina Del Rey, California, and frequents Danny's, a restaurant and lounge at the marina owned by his friend Danny Tovo (Val Bisoglio).

Quincy is quite successful with women. He was once married, but lost his wife, Helen, to cancer. In the Mystery Movie installments and earliest first-season episodes, Quincy has a regular girlfriend, an airline flight attendant named Lee Potter (portrayed by Lynnette Mettey) who sometimes accompanies him on his cases (such as in "...The Thighbone's Connected to the Knee Bone..."). After Lee, Quincy dated several women until near the end of the seventh season, when he remarries (Dr. Emily Hanover, played by Anita Gillette who had previously portrayed Helen in a flashback)[5] and sells the sailboat in the episode "Quincy's Wedding.”

Quincy occasionally drives an antique car (which is shown in Season 4, Episode 1 to be an antique Packard Town Car), but friends sometimes ask why he drives his "work car" (the county coroner's removal vehicle, a 1976 AMC Matador station wagon (California reg plate: 999853) in the first two seasons and a 1975 Ford LTD station wagon for the rest of the series) on his day off. In reply to the queries, Quincy claims that his car is being repaired.

As originally conceived as part of NBC's Mystery Movie format, the early seasons of Quincy, M.E. contained elements of whodunit or howcatchem and focused primarily on Quincy's own criminal investigation; a typical episode would find Quincy determining the actual murderer (instead of the LAPD) or the true cause of a suspicious or unusual death. Later seasons' episodes began to introduce themes of social responsibilities; Quincy would find himself conducting his own para-police investigation that reveals situations such as a disreputable plastic surgeon and the reasons his botched surgeries are not stopped, flaws in drunk driving laws, lax airline safety, dumping of hazardous waste, the proliferation of handguns, autism, anorexia nervosa, hazing, teenage alcoholism, Tourette's syndrome, orphan drugs and an infamous episode about the dangers of Punk Rock.

Quincy, M.E., was one of the first dramatic series to use a format like this to further a social agenda. Klugman himself even came to testify before the US Congress about some of these issues (such as orphan drugs in 1982),[6] describing what he had learned about a difficult or complex social concern as a result of its use in one of the show's episodes.[7]

In 2008, Klugman sued NBC, asserting that the network had concealed profits from the show which were owed to him.[8]

While many detective series had depicted rudimentary physical evidence analysis such as fingerprints and bullet comparisons, Quincy M.E. was the first to regularly present the in-depth forensic investigations which would be the hallmark of later detective shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NCIS, Diagnosis: Murder, Crossing Jordan, et al. Klugman appeared twice on Diagnosis: Murder, as, respectively, Dr. Jeff Everden and Det. Harry Trumble, and once on Crossing Jordan as Dr. Leo Gelber.

A total of 148 episodes of Quincy. M.E. were produced, with Jack Klugman appearing in all but one of them. In "Has Anybody Here Seen Quincy?" (season 2, episode 7), Dr. Asten talks to Quincy twice on the phone, but Quincy's voice is not heard, and he is never seen on screen.The reason Klugman refused to appear in this episode is because he disliked a scene when a body delivered to the morgue turns out to still be living. Klugman thought it ludicrous that a medical examiner of Quincy's expertise would fail to notice it.

Conversely, Klugman was the only regular cast member who appeared in the final episode of the series ("The Cutting Edge"), which was a backdoor pilot for a proposed series about a revolutionary new clinic. NBC did not pick up the new series, however.

Actor Eddie Garrett portrayed a forensic photographer in approximately 113 episodes of the series.[9] Joseph Roman appeared as Sgt. Brill, Lt. Monahan's partner. Marc Scott Taylor, technical advisor for the series beginning in season four, also appeared in the recurring role of Mark, a lab technician. John Nolan also played the recurring role of John the bartender in 86 episodes.[10] Jonathan Segal played the recurring role of the laboratory technician Jeff Sellers.[11]

Anita Gillette portrayed both of Quincy's wives. Until marrying Dr. Emily Hanover near the end of the series, Quincy had been a widower, having lost his first wife, Helen, before the events of the series. Anita Gillette was cast as the late Helen Quincy for the flashback scenes in the episode, "Promises to Keep", before being hired as Dr. Hanover.

Universal Studios has released Seasons 1 and 2 of Quincy, M.E. on DVD in regions 1,[12] 2 and 4. Season 3 was released in Region 1 on June 2, 2009, four years after the release of Seasons 1 and 2.[13]

On September 7, 2012, it was announced that Shout! Factory had acquired the rights to the series in Region 1. It subsequently released seasons 4 – 8 on DVD.[14][15][16][17][18][19]

In June 2011, Madman Entertainment announced that it had acquired the distribution rights to the series in Region 4. It subsequently released seasons 3 – 5 on DVD.

The DVDs separate the 90-minute and 60-minute episodes into first and second seasons, although they aired during the same broadcast season (1976–1977). Traditionally, the 1977–1978 season was considered the second, etc.

In 2013, Acorn Media acquired the rights to the series in Region 2. It released season 3 on March 4, 2013.[20]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Quincy, M.E..

• Quincy, M.E. at IMDb